THE

LondonPhilatelist:
THE MONTHLY JOURNAL OF

THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY, LONDON.

VOL. III. APRIL, 1894. No. 28.

TheLondonPhilatelicSociety'sExhibition.
BYthe announcements made elsewhere in this issue, it will
be seen that the arrangements for this " new departure " in
Exhibitions are progressing most satisfactorily, and that there
is reason to anticipate a series of exhibits which have had
no parallel in the past. It has been evident by sundry
comments that to depart from the beaten path in Philatelic
circles, is to invite criticism from all those who tread the
well-worn track. "The greatest good to the greatest
number" is an aphorism as applicable to Philately as to
Political Economy, and the connection should animate those
who hold positions of responsibility in "our little world."
We are therefore satisfied that, despite one or two friendly
criticisms, this exhibition will prove a great success, and give great
pleasure to the vast majority of collectors. The main burthen of the
comments that we have alluded to has been that " it is not scientific," like
the preceding exhibition, which embraced all varieties in specialised groups.
To a certain extent this cannot be gainsaid, but the advantages in other
directions are so obvious that a departure from previously-accepted principle
is fully condoned.
In the first place the occasion is exceptional. The twenty-fifth
anniversary of the foundation of a body like the London Philatelic Society,
may well present an occasion when the scientific mantle may be discarded
for the less sombre garments suitable for a festive occasion. In the second
place, the exhibition of rare stamps does not include only high-priced
or vulgar rarities that bear their wealth on their face, but all those really
scarce and interesting stamps that it rejoices a collector's heart to discover
2&Z
86 THE 1881 SURCHARGES OF TURKS ISLANDS.

after many years—these trouvailles being within the scope of every ardent
Philatelist; therefore the opportunities for exhibiting are thrown open to all,
in far wider measure than could be the case where complete countries have to
be exposed. In the third place, the exhibition of very many of the rarities
will largely add to the knowledge of those who are privileged to inspect
them. It is safe to assume that to very many, of those who will attend, a
considerable proportion of the rarities shewn have always been a sealed book.
The onlookers will see what exists, will be enabled to study their exact
appearance, will learn what constitutes rare stamps in the eyes of the leading
Philatelists, and will assuredly depart with the conviction that not only
has the exhibition been a feast for the eyes, but that it has also afforded
a most solid pabulum in the shape of an extension of their previous store
of Philatelic knowledge.

The 1881 Surcharges of Turks Islands.

.BY A. DE REUTERSKIOLD.
(Continued from page 63.)

Setting C, on is., prune ; 3 varieties. Illustration 3, 4.

Setting Ci, on is., prune ; 3 varieties.
Same as C, but no fractional line to variety 3.
Setting Cs, on is., prune; 3 varieties. Illustration 8.
Same as C or Ci, but no fractional line to variety I.
Setting C3, on id., red ; 3 varieties. Illustration 9.
Same as C2, but numerals in variety I are in a straight line, and a short
fractional line is inserted.
Setting D, on id., red; 3 varieties. Illustration 10.
Setting D, on is., plum ; 3 varieties. „ 10.
July to December, 1881.
Setting E, on id , red ; 15 varieties. Illustration II.
„ F, on id., red; 15 varieties. >( 12.
„ F, on is., plum ; 15 varieties. ,, 12.
To make the 2|d. stamps the Jd. provisionals were used by printing a 2
in front of the fraction; either a large thin 2, 8 mm. in height, and with a
curly tail, or a smaller and thicker 2, 6 mm. in height, and with a straight tail.
The |d. settings used were the following:
Setting A, on 6d., black ; 6 (?) varieties ; large curly-tailed 2. Illustration 13.
B, on 6d., black ; 3 varieties „ „ 14.
B, on 6d., black ; 3 varieties ; small thick 2, with straight tail 15-
C, on is., prune ; 3 varieties ; large curly-tailed 2 16.
E, on is., blue; 15 varieties ; small thick 2, with straight tail 17-
F, on id., red; 15 varieties „ „ „ 18.
F, on is., prune ; 15 varieties „ „ „ 18.
Of this last setting on the is., prune, I have type 6, with large, curly-
tailed 2 (illustration 19), but I cannot say whether one or two of these
 C2. 8.

C3. 9. D. 10.

E, ii.
 F. 12. B. 14.

Tvoe 6.

A. 13. B. 15- F 19.

C. 16.
3- 4- 5-

'3- E. 17. '?•

 F. 18.

20 a. 2ob- 20 c. 20 d.

21 22

23
90 THE 1881 SURCHARGES OF TURKS ISLANDS.

were introduced in the setting up, or if there is a whole plate of them.

In these settings, E and F, the large 2's were printed in blocks of fifteen,
or perhaps thirty; for though the position of the large 2 varies on different
specimens, being sometimes above and sometimes below the fractional line,
it is in the same position on the stamps from the same sheet.
In the Philatelic Record for April, 1881, is noted a 2|d. surcharge on
6d., black, with smaller surcharge. The large surcharges having only been
issued three months later, I think this must refer to a variety which was
shown me last year by one of our leading dealers, and of which I am
only able to give a poor illustration (23). The large 2 is the usual one
with curly tail, but the \ is in much smaller figures, the fraction being
only 7 mm. in height. This variety is extremely rare, and was probably
amongst the first issued.
Of the 4d. surcharge there are several varieties (illustration 20, a, b, c, d),
and at least three different settings. One setting is printed in blocks of
six, composed of five types a, and one type b (illustration 21),
a. a.
a. a.
a. b.
so that the first two horizontal rows of the sheet all have surcharge a,
and the last row alternately a and b.
Another setting, of which I have seen entire sheets, is printed in
vertical strips of three, all type a (illustration 22). These two settings
occur, the first on the 6d., black, and is., prune, and the second on the
6d., black, only.
There is a third setting, which occurs on the id., red, and 6d., black,
containing types a and c, but as I have seen no blocks of this surcharge
I am unable to say how it is made up.
I have placed this setting last, as it is the only one which is found on
the id., red, which was the last surcharge chronicled; but it is quite
possible it may have been the first issued, as after the notice in the
March number of the Philatelic Record of the issue of a provisional 4d.,
we find in the May number a variety of this surcharge, described as
differing by the greater squatness of the 4.
As regards surcharge d, I have it on the id., red,* and on the id., rose,
but have always looked upon it as a forgery. I mention it here hoping
to elicit further information about it.
This ends my list of these surcharges, and if it induces others to study
these interesting varieties, and to correct and complete my list of the
different settings up, the end I have in view in writing these lines will
be attained.
* Since writing the above this surcharge has been declared genuine by the Philatelic Protection
Association.
[CORRECTION.—The last two illustrations in the March number are numbered incorrectly.
B 5 should be Setting BI( No. 6.
B6 „ „ B, No. 5.
This latter illustration is not very successful, having been touched up; the fraction line in the 2d.
variety should be a mere dot, as can be seen in Illustration 2.—ED.]
28a*
 f 9'. 3

Remarks 0n the Arrangement 0f the Stamps of

Great Britain.
BY E. D. BACON.

AFTER the strong view expressed by Mr. Hastings Wright

upon the best arrangement of a collection of the stamps of
Great Britain, and after the similar declarations that fell
from other distinguished members of the Philatelic Society,
at the meeting at which Mr. Wright read his paper, I
naturally feel somewhat diffident in putting forward my own
opinion, which is diametrically opposed to such recognised authorities. It is
only after a good deal of deliberation, and the conviction I have that the
method these gentlemen propose is contra-philatelical, that I venture to raise
my voice against a system that meets with such high approval.
No one will, I feel confident, contradict me when I say that all philatelists
are agreed that the correct plan to adopt in arranging a collection is a strictly
chronological one. This is so obvious that, with the exception of our own
country, and at most one or two others, no other plan has ever been
suggested. But we are told the stamps of Great Britain do not lend them-
selves to this treatment, and that if the chronological method is adhered to,
the collection is reduced to chaos, although Mr. Wright admits the chaos is
more apparent than real. I have had some experience lately in mounting
the stamps of our own country, as I have just completed the re-arrangement
of those in the "Tapling Collection" upon a chronological basis, and I
believe that, so far from chaos being the result, an inspection will show that this
system cannot only be successfully carried Out, but that it presents many
advantages over the plan advocated by Mr. Hastings Wright, and others, of
arranging the stamps according to their values, sub-divided under the various
methods used for their production.
The principal advancement of a chronological arrangement is, that by
following the issues one readily sees the numerous changes of values and
modes of printing made necessary by postal progress. The various designs,
colours, watermarks, and perforations are all found in the order in which they
appear, from their commencement down to the present day; in short, a
continuous history of the stamps is unfolded as the leaves of the album are
turned over one by one. All this, so far as the continuity is concerned, is
lost by breaking the stamps up into their several values, and one never knows
what stamps were in use at or about the same period. I do not wish for a
moment to be understood to defend a chronological order that interferes
with the plate numbers of any stamp of a particular issue, such as breaking
up the plate numbers of the Perkins-Bacon one penny, and arranging them
according to the years in which they appeared, interspersed with other values,
92 THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY EMISSIONS.

as was done in one large collection I once saw. I think this is going to the
other extreme, and may without exaggeration be said to lead to confusion
of an undesirable nature. One might just as reasonably try to class the
various shades of the stamps of any country, by the different years they
happened to be issued in, as to follow out a plan of the above nature. On
the contrary, I consider that the plate numbers of a stamp of the same
colour, watermark, and perforation should all be classed under one issue, and
on no account be separated.
As regards a written history of the stamps of Great Britain, it may
perhaps be more convenient to divide the stamps of their values under the
different forms of printing. I see no objection why this course should not
be pursued, except that it has, without doubt, a tendency to tempt collectors
to follow a similar arrangement of the stamps in their collections. I am
consequently glad to find that Mr. W. A. S. Westoby, in his work Postage
Stamps of the United Kingdom, 1840-1890, reverts to a chronological order,
and I only regret that he makes this dependent upon the three divisions of
printing.
In conclusion, I contend that no sufficiently strong reason has yet been
shown in the case of Great Britain stamps, for departing from the recognised
method of arranging a collection. I further maintain that these stamps
do not present such difficulties that it is necessary or expedient that
the usual custom of mounting should be departed from, and that an
arbitrary system depending upon two divisions—firstly of printing, and
secondly of values, should be substituted.

The Oxford University Emissions.

BY J. R. F. TURNER.
READ IN THE FORM OF A PAPER BEFORE THE OXFORD PHILATELIC SOCIETY.

UNTIL quite recently the Oxford College stamps, post cards,

and envelopes were a veritable "unknown quantity;" for
although it was no secret among a select few that such
things had been used extensively, in the absence of any
authentic information on the subject it was not surprising
that collectors generally should hitherto have been entirely
ignorant of their existence. In January last, however, Professor Napier
published in the Monthly Journal a highly-interesting paper thereon, which,
besides placing on record all the known varieties, gave a vast amount of
details with respect to the same. Philatelists at once asked themselves the
question why stamps which had been withdrawn from circulation nearly ten
years ago should, in the meantime, have apparently slumbered in oblivion.
It was an experience quite new to them, and one that seemed almost in-
credible; for here were stamps that had been used for a purely postal
purpose quietly dying a natural death, not even their ghosts in the form of
 THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY EMISSIONS. 93

reprints and forgeries appearing, as had happened in the case of the Circular
Delivery and other stamps too numerous to mention. This singular state of
things is not difficult to explain, for except that a stray copy occasionally
turned up in an old collection, and perhaps caused much wonderment as to
its real character, comparatively few seem to have found their way into the
country, and dealers getting no demand for them either remained ignorant of
their appearance, or were apathetic and made no efforts to lay in a stock
when the stamps were easily obtainable.
Soon after their suppression all recollection of the College stamps in
Oxford seems to have slowly died out. Several of the issuing colleges can
give absolutely no information on the subject, and in one case, a don of
Keble, who has been in residence for over twenty years, assured me that no
stamps were issued by that college previous to the blue lithographed stamp
of 1877; whilst the authorities at Hertford are unable to explain the fact
that whereas their stock of adhesives were supplied to the college in 1875,
yet none were actually used until the end of 1883 or commencement of
1884, the supply of 15,000 lying idle in the college bursary during the inter-
mediate period of eight years. Further difficulties were experienced with
the printers of the stamps, one of whom retired from business some years
ago, whilst another, who was responsible for the manufacture of the embossed
Kebles, stated that they were embossed in blue and rouletted, but of the
actual numbers printed and their dates of issue he appeared to know nothing.
Under these circumstances it was indeed fortunate that just about a year ago
the leading and oldest established firm of accountants in this city very
kindly allowed me access to their private correspondence between the years
1871 and 1885, when after a patient search, extending over fifteen hours, I
brought to light specimens of most of the adhesives used on the original
envelopes, each envelope having been dated the day it was received by the
firm in question. The " find " was undoubtedly a most valuable one, including
as it did several stamps whose existence had been forgotten, one of them
being a copy of the Merton adhesive, Type III., which so far seems to be
unique. By the aid of these dated letters, about forty in number, the
chronological order of some of the issues was ascertained, besides which it
became possible to fix the exact time when the stamps themselves were in
use. I have since advertised freely in the Oxford papers and elsewhere, but,
with one notable exception, have received no replies whatever, and on in-
terrogating business people and University dons, through whose hands
plenty of the stamps unquestionably passed, I find that few have kept their old
letters, and in these cases the envelopes have invariably been destroyed. In
the face of almost insuperable difficulties like the above, it was therefore
little short of the miraculous that Professor Napier, in so short a. time, should
have been able to gather all the facts contained in his paper on the Oxford
College stamps, and the remarkable reaction that has taken place in their
favour is obviously due to his careful and exhaustive research, which is
clearly deserving of the gratitude of the philatelic world, leading, as it did,
to so complete a resuscitation. With one exception, the stamps under
discussion have already been spoken of in eulogistic terms by several of the
leading philatelic papers of the day, whilst their undoubted popularity
94 THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY EMISSIONS.

among high-class collectors is more than evidenced by the excessively-high

prices, for College emissions, which some of the varieties have fetched at
recent auctions.
Unfortunately, however, certain erroneous statements have been put
forward which, if uncorrected, will inevitably create a false and misleading
impression, and at the wish of some of the members of the Oxford Philatelic
Society I beg to place on record a few facts which may tend to remove these
mistaken ideas.
Most Philatelists probably know by this time that the Oxford University
emissions were in use for just over fourteen years, viz., from 1871 to
1885, during the whole of which period their legal aspect remained un-
challenged, but when in 1885 a new Postmaster - General entered upon
office I understand that he, doubtless disagreeing with the views held by his
predecessors, sent a summons to the Colleges to the effect that the
monopoly of the Post-office, as carriers of correspondence, was being
interfered with, and that unless the stamps were suppressed an action would
be instituted to vindicate the Post-office prerogative. It is therefore no
wonder that the Colleges, without apparently stopping to think, should have
obediently desisted from using the stamps. They knew that a case with
the Post-office would be no light affair, and probably only thought of
the tremendous costs that might be incurred. The illegality, if any, would
naturally lie in the carrying of the letter and not in the stamp employed;
it is therefore a most remarkable circumstance that, after the suppression, the
system in vogue remained practically the same as it had been while the
stamps were in use, the only difference being that the small fee charged
for the conveyance of each letter was collected otherwise than by stamps.
It would consequently appear that what the Post-office really objected
to was the use of stamps, and not the principle involved. Be this as it may,
Keble College, in the Hilary Term of 1886, issued provisionally for about
three weeks a post card and envelope, stamped with the College crest
in blue, these being eventually superseded by another envelope in two sizes,
embossed with the College arms on the flap, which have been in permanent
use ever since. They are sold to members of the College at 8d. per dozen,
and frank letters to any part of Oxford.
Now, if their use is illegal, the Post-office authorities would surely not
have countenanced the existence of such a practice for nine years; neither
would they acquiesce in the method in vogue at very many of the other
Oxford Colleges at the present day, where the sender of a letter writes
his initials on it, and for every letter so initialled he is charged a halfpenny
or penny, as the case may be, in his weekly battels. The initials frank
the letter; hence this system is, to all intents and purposes, similar to that
involving the issue and use of stamps, and has been adopted by some of
the Colleges from time immemorial.
On the face of the above, and remembering that the matter has not
been settled one way or the other, it may be fairly held that the popular
opinion that the College stamps, post cards, and envelopes were issued
and used illegally, is an erroneous one.
( T o b e continued.) . . . . . .
 t 95 ]

PhilatelicNotes.
NOTE.—Under this title will be found all notes relating to postal issues other than those that are
chronicled as current novelties, or which form the subject of special articles. The co-operation of
Philatelists is invited in order to make this column of a varied and interesting nature.

THE SIXPENCE, ORANGE, VICTORIA.

THE exact date of issue of this rara avis—the beaded oval 6d.—has
never been yet discovered. In M. Moens' Catalogue it is given as
" April (?), 1861," and in Oceania as 1862. We have, however, lately been
informed by Messrs. Stanley Gibbons, Limited, of a specimen that will
considerably antedate its issue, as they have seen it postmarked on a letter
bearing the obliteration " Melbourne, No. 24, 60."

QUEENSLAND WATERMARKS.
THE watermark of script capitals on the issue of 1867 has always been
a difficult one to trace, as the size of the letters naturally involved but
the appearance of a small portion only on each stamp. Mr. Castle lately
became possessed of a block of twenty-eight of the 2d. value, consisting of
four horizontal rows of seven in the upper left corner of the sheet Messrs.
Stanley Gibbons, Limited, having also a similar, Major Evans has fitted the
two together, with the result that he has been able to trace the following
portion of the watermark:
J^W./^
c^2&*2^
The full watermark consists of the words in three rows," Queensland Postage
Stamp," the two latter words being repeated side by side, and separated by a
fleuron. The watermark reads vertically on the sheet, as will be gathered
from the position of the first block referred to. In Mr. Castle's collection
there is also a horizontal block of two rows of twelve stamps, being the
entire width of the sheet, of the issue of 1868, with truncated star and
Roman capitals for "Queensland." The stars are placed on the upper
portion of the stamps, and the first letter " Q " begins in the middle of the
fourth stamp from the left-hand, finishing on the outer edge of the last and
twelfth stamp. They measure about 17 mm. in height, and the length of the
inscription is 165 mm. The six left-hand stamps are therefore watermarked
with truncated star only, and it will be seen that there are therefore two
distinct varieties to be secured in this issue.
96 PHILATELIC NOTES.

DISCOVERIES.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.—We are indebted to Mr. Langridge for the sight of
a variety that is new to us. It consists of the 2s., deep carmine-lake,
watermark first and pointed star, perf. n£, printed on the reverse side, and
the impression inverted. The stamp is postmarked " G. P. O., Adelaide,
Ap. 25, 1870." We alluded in February (p. 45) to the recently-discovered
3d., black on blue, with double surcharge, suggesting the possibility of this
variety occurring on the same sheet as the same stamp without surcharge.
We have since had an opportunity to examine the specimen in the Tapling
collection, which is"4d.", bright blue of a darkish shade, perf. ii£ hor. by
I2| vert, postmark "S. Australia," not dated; only small part of the "star"
wmk. shows, but there can be little doubt that it is the first variety. From
this it appears that this theory can hardly be maintained, for the double
surcharged stamp is that now assigned by the " New Departure" in South
Australia as 1876, with the second star watermark, and perf. u| x I2j, Until
the appearance of the work by Messrs. Gordon Smith and Napier this stamp
has always been classed generically as of the date assigned to it in Oceania,
M. Moens' Catalogue, etc., and we purposely so noted it for the benefit of
our readers, who can hardly be as yet initiated in the somewhat complex
new arrangement.
LIBERIA.—Mr. M. Giwelb writes: " With regard to the Liberia 3 c., red,
" Inland" stamps, I must admit that I am rather ignorant of all these
mysterious issues of such fortunate countries and colonies as Liberia, Sedang,
N. Borneo, Obock, etc., etc., as I have very little or nothing at all to do with
them, nor with those of the ' Seebeck' issues; but finding the said stamp,
and not knowing what it was, I fancied its announcement might lead to its
existence being explained. It now appears that it was chronicled in March,
1893, by the Stamp Nezvs, but without anything to indicate whether it was a
new issue or not." The latter journal, in its issue of March, 1894, says,
" Since we first recorded it we have made enquiries as to its origin, and
found—" the following information. The date of acquiring this knowledge
is not stated, but doubtless it was of recent origin, or it would have been
previously published to warn the unsophisticated collector. " Since we first
recorded it, we have made inquiries as to its origin, and what we have found
is these stamps were undoubtedly produced at the same time as the black
stamps (which were issued) by the Continental firm who executed them, and
who received an order for some sheets in red, and that both the black and the
red were sent out together. The red were never issued, but lay in the Post-
office until our publishers, some time ago, purchased from a correspondent in
Liberia some of the remainders which were on hand in 1886, and when the
consignment arrived were surprised to find a small quantity of these red
stamps, of which they had never heard, amongst the others. They had lain
so long probably forgotten, that it can hardly be suggested that they were
created as a speculation. Our interpretation, which we think the most
probable, is that they were colour trials."
 OCCASIONAL NOTES, 97

TASMANIA.—In our note on the " dull lake colour " fiscal issue on page
45 this reprint is alluded to as " id." This is an obvious printer's error for
"1"—the watermark—the value being, as would be gathered from the
description, that of Two Shillings and Sixpence.
GREAT BRITAIN.—Essay.—Mr. Morley has shown us a somewhat curious
variety that will interest those who collect Essays. It consists of the " Prince
Consort Essay," in black, but perforated 16, and, he thinks, undoubtedly by
Archer's machine. A few sheets were so perforated and submitted to the
Committee of the House of Commons at that time, though up to now no
copies had been found, those usually met with being the imperf. copies. The
" stamps" in question are well perforated of the guage mentioned, and with
full gum—Tons ce qu'ily a a desirer !

OccasionalNotes.
PRESENTATIONS TO THE "TAPLING COLLECTION."
BIRITISH BECHUANALAND.—£i and £5, issue 1887, surcharged "speci-
men."—Mr. E. D. Bacon.
GREAT BRITAIN.—Four specimens of the id., red, newspaper stamp,
issue July 1st, 1855, and two of the special stamps used by The Times
newspaper.—Mr. W. A. S. Westoby.
A specimen of the |d., die Oz., Illustrated London News stamp.—Mr. F.
A. Philbrick, Q.c.
An entire sheet of the Queen's College, Cambridge, stamp.—The College.
Specimens of the following Keble College, Oxford, stamps : Bright orange,
perf. 11; pink, perf. 11; deep carmine, perf. i r top and bottom, and imperf.
at sides; also envelope, vermilion on white.—Mr. Erskine Beveridge.
Five Hertford College, Oxford, envelopes with stamp in mauve, including
the " large square size" not previously in the " Collection " ; also two copies
of the Keble College, Oxford, envelope, and an impression taken from the
cancelling stamp used at Hertford College.—Mr. J. R. F. Turner.
A specimen of the I shilling " Universal Private Telegraph Co.," and one
of the 3d. " United Kingdom Electric Telegraph Co., Limited," with the
surcharge INT.; also copies of the imperforate remainders without control
numbers, of the following: 3d., 6d., is., 2s., 33., 53., "British and Irish
Magnetic Telegraph Co.," and is., is. 6d., 2s. 6d., 45., 5s. "The English
and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Co.", including a pair of the is. of the latter
company, t$te-be~che; also a specimen in black of the Prince Albert essay,
perforated by Archer.—Mr. Walter Morley.
MEXICO.—Four specimens of the 2 rls., Eagle Issue, and three copies
of the Maximilian lithographs, with surcharges, not in the " Collection."—
Mr, W. T. Wilson,
98 OCCASIONAL NOTES.

NEW SOUTH WALES.—An unused specimen of the current 2d. on fiscal

paper (issue Oct.(?) 1888).—Mr. W. Brown.
ST. VINCENT.—id., black, issue 1871; perforated 12 J x 15.—Messrs. Stanley
Gibbons, Limited.
TURKS ISLANDS.—An entire sheet of thirty id., carmine-rose, watermark
Crown CA, perf. 12, on which some of the stamps have the labels, containing
the name of the colony and the value, shewing groundwork of lines, instead
of being solid.—Major E, B. Evans (late R.A.).

DAILY PRESS NOTICES.

THE Times of the 26th of last month has a two-column article, entitled
"Stamp Collecting and Postal Revenues," in which, after citing the
recent despatch of Lord Ripon's on unnecessary surcharges, it presents an
exceedingly well-informed digest of the various courses that have led to
the present abuse of the Colonial Stamp-Issuing Departments. "A
Correspondent" must have been behind the scenes, as much of the
information will be new to all but the denizens of the Philatelic world.
The publication of this article by our powerful contemporary will be heartily
welcomed by all Philatelists.
• »
THE PARIS PHILATELIC EXHIBITION.
WEare asked to state that the arrangements for this exposition are now
well in hand, the dates of opening and closing being the 2jrd July and
23rd November. During these four months it appears that it is proposed to
exhibit, in the given order, for one month each, the stamps of Europe, Asia,
and Africa, America, Oceania. The obvious advantage is that they will all
fade alike, hence no harm will ensue, as the owner of the stamps would not
notice the difference between one continent and the other. This difficulty of
exposure so strongly urged is thus happily surmounted. All applications
should be made to M. Raffalowich, 28, Rue Caumartin, Paris. The committee
includes many of the leading names in Philatelic circles, the representative
thereon for this country being the ex-President of the London Philatelic
Society, Mr. F. A. Philbrick, Q.C. A useful feature will be the devotion of
one of the three exhibition saloons to the purposes of Philatelic literature, as
also the opening of dealers' stalls. These and other attractions will draw
many visitors, and we wish our confreres every success, a result that should be
assured under such auspicious Philatelic patronage as displayed by the names
of the committee.

THE U.S. PRINTING CONTRACT.

THEPostmaster-General settled the long controversy over the awarding
of the contract for printing postage stamps for the next four years by
rejecting all bids, and ordering that the work be done by the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing, on February 2 ist, the principal bidders being the
American Bank Note Company of New York, which now holds the contract,
and Mr. Steele of Philadelphia.
 OCCASIONAL NOTES. 99

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, through its representative, Capt.

Johnson, submitted an estimate which was materially lower than either of the
two bids.
The question then arose as to whether the Bureau could do the work with
its limited facilities, and this was the subject of several conferences in which
Secretary Carlisle took a leading part.
The American Company will print the stamps until July 1st, when the
Bureau will be prepared to do the work.
It is not, however, apparently finally settled, as, says the Philatelic
Monthly,
" There are rumours afloat which cannot be traced to a definite source, that the
controversy over the postage stamp contract is still a good way from ended. The
whole business is liable to be brought before Congress by the appropriation, which, it
is said, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing will be obliged to ask for in order to go
on with the extra work found in the execution of the new contract. It is expected
that the Bureau will need some additional and expensive plant, and a lot of new
workmen. These things and employes have to be paid for, and the present appropria-
tions for the maintenance of the Bureau are not generous enough to cover such extra
expense.
" On the other hand, the Post Office Department cannot pay for work until it is
done, so that advances from the postal appropriation are out of the question. If the
persons who are interested in keeping the stamp printing outside of the Bureau could
muster force enough in Congress, they could make considerable difficulty about the
passage of appropriations for the extra work.
"It is not known positively that such a fight will be made, but a good many
suggestions of that sort are flying about."

THE EXPERT COMMITTEE.

THE Committee are now prepared to receive stamps for examination.
They should be marked as above, and directed to the London
Society's Rooms, with the amount of the fee (2s. 6d.) for each specimen.
This fee covers all expenses of registration, examination, and photography.
A photograph in platinatype of the stamp, if genuine, signed by the
members of the Committee, will accompany the certificate. Subsequent
copies of the photograph can be provided at a much lower rate.

THE LONDON PHILATELIC SOCIETY'S EXHIBITION.

WE are glad to be in a position to inform our readers that the amount of
support received by the Exhibition Committee is most gratifying, and
that there is every reason to anticipate a magnificent array of rarities in the
Society's rooms on the 8th of next month. Many of the leading collectors
have promised to send of their finest, and their good example will be
followed, we trust, by those other members who have not yet replied to the
circular of the Committee. The earliest possible communication is desired
in order to make the arrangements complete in good time. Full particulars
will be seen in our advertisement pages.
 [ loo ]

Reviews.
PHILATELIC FICTION—"A THIRD PERSON."*
IT was hardly to be expected that Philately would for long,
remain unrecognised in the literature and drama of the day
Some months ago we called attention to a recent work of
Mr. R. L. Stevenson, in which there figured no less than two
philatelists, though they could hardly be described as of the
advanced order of collector. About a year ago a comedietta was
produced in London, the hero of which, if our memory serves us right, was
a half mad collector, who (like some of his saner brethren) sought long and
eagerly for a blue Post-office Mauritius, and nearly succeeded in getting
himself hanged for a murder he had not committed before he obtained
the coveted prize. But it has been reserved for Mrs. Croker to give us
what has been aptly termed by a critic in a weekly contemporary "A
Romance of the Stamp Album," in which Philately is the means whereby
a charming damsel is won by a gallant captain, and an ancient general by
a designing widow.
And this is how it all happened. The hero, Roger Hope, home on his
leave from India, falls in love at first sight (of course) with the heroine Rose,
the granddaughter of General Yaldwin, an old gentleman, with a terrible
temper, and possessing " one of the finest collections of postage stamps in
England." Miss Rose, unlike the orthodox heroine of the modern novel, is a
charming young lady, with no advanced notions concerning the relations of
the sexes, who strives after " no duty towards herself," and sighs not after the
forbidden " Wanderjahr"; on the contrary, her duty is to attend on her
grandfather and his deaf wife; and as she is allowed to see no one, or go
nowhere, her lot, until the advent of our hero, must have been far from a
happy one. In order to be near the object of his affections, and to find
favour in the eyes of her grandfather, Roger feigns a sudden interest in
philately, and spends hours over "American and Australian first issues," of
which the General appears to possess several volumes I He further invests
£$ in a selection of stamps, which includes two Swiss locals and a Pony
Express (which we trust were genuine); and this so gladdens the old gentle-
man's heart, that he consents to Rose accompanying Roger to the theatre,
though of course under proper chaperonage. By the aid of further supplies
of stamps from " Sander's Foreign Stamp Agency," Roger found such favour
in the eyes of the veteran philatelist, that if he had only requested Rose's
hand before the arrival of the inevitable designing widow Mrs. Clara Skyler,
we have no doubt the story would have arrived at an abrupt and happy
conclusion. But Mrs. Skyler has designs on the hero herself, and uses all her
wiles to estrange the lovers. How she is defeated, how Rose's terrier makes
* A Third Person. By MRS. B. M. CROKER. London : F. V. White and Co.
 NEW ISSUES. 101

a meal of half a dozen Russians, a Swede, and three or four American locals,
and how Rose and Roger are in the end happily united, we must leave our
readers to find out for themselves. We must add that Mrs. Skyler, defeated
in her primary object, determines to make a bid for the General (his deaf wife
having died in the meantime), so suddenly assumes an interest in philately,
and starts a collection under his guidance. This ruse entirely succeeds,
though, as the lady declares that "she will put an end to all this nonsense
afterwards," we do not envy our fellow-philatelist's future prospects.
We have only given a slight sketch of the plot of the book, which is bright
and readable.
The author has a keen sense of humour, and also some knowledge of
philately, though we fear her characters (always excepting the General) have
a very low opinion of the "science." In fact, they appear to emulate one
another in strongly-expressed opinions as to the sanity of the philatelic world
in general; and we felt quite hurt at a scathing remark of the lovely heroine
upon "the stamp magazine," though we comforted ourselves with the thought
that perhaps all this happened in the days when the London Philatelist was
not!
Philatelic errors are few and far between. We never heard of a " Bermuda
reprint." There is a great deal about an impossible " Finland," and we do
not think that a collector of General Yaldwin's experience would offer ^250
for the early shilling Natal. But these errors are of small importance in a
work of this kind. Some references to the late Mr. Tapling would have been
better left out, as personalities in fiction are to be avoided, especially as the
authoress shews by a reference to the collection at the British Museum that
she was aware of his death. But apart from this we have nothing but praise
for these volumes. The example of the hero may be commended to anyone
whose centre of affections is the daughter of an enthusiastic philatelist,
and this book to our readers in search of an amusing novelty in the way
of fiction.

New Issues.
Under this head will be found notes of the new, and variations of the current issues. We do not
profess to chronicle everything, biit with the kind help of correspondents, are desirous that all
the important novelties may be included. Speculative stamps—i.e. those not really required for
postal purposes—will be considered on their merits, and Jubilee issues will not be chronicled.

GREAT BRITAIN AND COLONIES. large one issued last year, and the wrapper
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA. — Messrs. with stamp of the current type in the new
Whitfield King & Co. write : " We enclose colour now used for the cards ; the material
a specimen of the new 35. B. C. A., which of both remains as before.
superseded the provisional 33. on 45. some " IVrafftr. i c., grey-black on straw.
Post Card. I c. ,, tuff"
time ago. The same stamp is also issued
for Mashonaland without the surcharge." LAGOS.—We have received from Messrs.
35., current issue, surcharged B C. A., yellowish-brown. Whitfield King & Co. copies of three new
CANADA.—We take the following from values for this colony, of the same design
the Monthly Journal: " We are indebted to and wmk. as the current type.
Adhesive*. Five pence, lilac ; value in green.
Mr. D. A. King for specimens of the post ?i ti » carmine.
card in a new size, which is to replace the 10 ,, ,i ii yellow
102 NEW ISSUES.

QUEENSLAND. — The Monthly Journal The same series has been surcharged
chronicles an imperf. pair of the id., orange " FRANQUEO OFICIAL," for official use.
(1869), also a variety of the 2s., brown (1882). Envelopes. 5 c., green on white.
id., orange ; an imperf. pair. 10 c., carmine on straw.
2s., brown; LA joined. Post Cards. 2 c., brown and black on pink,
3c, blue and black on violet.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.— Mr. H. M. Gooch
has shewn us copies of the permanent 2^d. The design on the envelopes is different
and 5d. values. The design is rectangular. to that of the adhesive, in that it is of oval
The 2^d. consists of "South Australia" shape, with value in large figures in tablets
"Twopence Halfpenny" at top and base at sides.
respectively, having the Queen's head in a Through the kindness of Messrs. Whit-
diamond to left of centre, with a kangaroo field King & Co. we can now add the values
and palm trees to right. The 5d. value is of the stationery alluded to last month.
somewhat similar except that the Queen's Envelope*. 5 ., blue.
10 , grey.
head is in an upright rectangular frame,
20 , carmine-red.
with Arms of the colony to the right, wmk. 30 , brown.
Cr. SA, badly perf. 15. 2 sizes.
Wrappers, i , blue on straw.
Le Timbre-Poste chronicles the id. perf. 2 . ,,
15, and a slight change of colour in the 4 • »
3 pence value. Post Cards. 2 , red and green on deep blue.
Adhesives. ?\ pence, deep blue ; perf. 15. 3 , blue and green on straw.
5 ,, deep violet „ 2-^2 c., red and green on deep blue (reply).
i penny, green; perf. 15. 3-^3 c., blue and green on straw ( ,, ).
3 pence, bright green ; change of colour,
PERU.—We are indebted for the following
TOBAGO. — Le Timbre Paste informs us to the American Journal of Philately. A
that the I shilling was issued with watermark correspondent in Peru writes as follows : " We
Crown and CA on February loth last. beg to inform you that the Post-office De-
Adhesive. One Shilling, ochre, wmk, Cr. and C A.
partment, by order of the Government, will
TRINIDAD.—The A. J. of Ph. has seen place in use the stamps which have been
the current \ penny surcharged " o.S." in retired from circulation, but they will be
black. We suppose other values will shortly surcharged with a black hand stamp repre-
follow this. senting the bust of President Morales
Adhesive. J penny, green; surch. "O.S." in black.
Bemuar. According to the catalogue of
EUROPE. stamps that we have, the stamps that will
ROUMANIA. — Messrs. Thos. Ridpath and be surcharged are the following:
1877, 5 c., blue.
Co. have sent us specimens of five new "1872, i c. yellow, green. 1876, 10 c., green.
values of adhesives recently issued ; also a 1874, 2 c. lilac. 1874, 50 c., green.
new wrapper, watermarked "P.R.," perf. 13^. 1882, 2 c. red(U.P.U). 1880, 50 c., red (U.P.U.).
1879, 2 c. rose. 1880, i sol, blne(U.P.U.).
The higher values of 25 and 50 bani will 1882, 5 c. blue(U.P.U.).
not be issued until the end of May ojr June.
Adhesives. i£ bani, black.
"These stamps will be sold only at the
3 , , brown. Post-office at Lima, and as the supply is not
5 ,, blue.
10 ,, green. very large, they will naturally rise in price."
red.
Wrapper, 'ij ", black. UNITED STATES.—The new i cent card
AMERICA. has now appeared. The portrait is that of
Jefferson in place of General Grant, size
ECUADOR. —Wehavereceiveflfrom Messrs.
139x89 mm.
Whitfield King & Co. the new issue for 1894. Post Card, i cent, black on straw.
The design contains in the centre a bust of
President Rocafuerte, Correps del Ecuador, OTHER COUNTRIES.
U.P.U., 1894, at the top, and value in words,
and tablets at base ; white wove paper ; perf. CUBA.—Messrs. Whitfield King and Co.
12. A dhesives. I C. blue. have sent us the £ m. de peso in its new
2 C. brown. colour, rose.
5C. green. Adhesive, i m. de peso, rose.
10 C. vermilion.
20 c. grey-black. FERNANDOPOO.—According \x>LeTimbre-
50 c. orange. Poste a new stamp has been issued, of the
i sucre, carmine.
5 sucres, deep blue. same design as that of the current issue
 PHILATELIC SOCIETIES' MEETINGS.

Cuba, with the name FERNANDO Poo at
top, perf. 14.
Adhesive. 10 c de peso, violet-brown.
Other values are to appear, but these have
not yet been sent off from Madrid.
FRENCH COLONIES.—Messrs. Whitfield
King and Co. have sent us the remainder of
the postage due stamps in separate colours.
Postage Due. 50 c., lilac.
60 c , brown,
i fr., pink.
HAWAII.—We have received specimens of
the new issue from Messrs. Whitfield King
& Co. and Messrs. Thos. Ridpath & Co.
There are five values of handsome design.
The one cent, is a rectangular oblong, with
the Arms of the country in the centre, and
having upright figures of priestly appear-
ance on either side, each bearing a staff;
"HAWAII" at top, "ONE CENT" at base.
The two cents depicts a view of Honolulu ;
"HAWAII" at top, value at bottom, "POST-
AGE" on each side. The 5 c. has a figure
on a pedestal, enclosed within a horse-
shoe frame, bearing the words " HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS POSTAGE"; value in tablets at
base. The design of the 10 c. is a five-
rayed star, partly overshadowed by pale
trees; "1893"at top, "HAWAII" and value
at base. The 25 c. is a very handsome
stamp; inclining somewhat towards the
right hand is an oval containing the portrait
of a distinguished looking man (? governor
of Honolulu), with a flowing beard of exotic
growth. This medallion partly impinges on
a flag, while an anchor is portrayed beneath
it, "HAWAII, 1893," at top, value in a rec-
tangular tablet at base ; perf. 12.
orange-yellow.
brown,
carmine-rose,
emerald-green.
25 c. Prussian-blue.
NATIVE INDIAN STATES.—Bamra.—The
Monthly Journal chronicles a new post card
for this State. In the right upper corner is
a stamp bearing a fancy portrait of a poten-
tate with a crown, enclosed in a rectangular
frame, value in words below and a blank
label above, fancy ornaments at sides, and
a row of imitation perforations at top and
base. The inscriptions on the card are
"BAMRA STATE POST CARD" in one line,
followed by two lines of native characters.
Post Card, i anna, green on grey-blue.
Holkar.—A new envelope and post card
respectively have been issued according to
the Philatelic Record.
Envelope. \ anna, lilac-brown on white.
Post Card. \ anna, orange on lilac.
PERAK.—Messrs. Whitfield King & Co.
have sent us specimens of the two new post
cards lately issued; the design is the same
as the current type of adhesives.
Post Cards. I c., green,
i +1 c , green (reply).
PHILIPPINES.—Messrs. Whitfield King &
Co. send us the 6 c. in its new colour.
Adhesive. 6 c. de peso.

Philatelic Societies' Meetings.

THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY, LONDON.

Honorary President.— H.R.H. DUKE ALFRED or SAXE-COBURG GOTHA.
Hon. Vice-President.— H.R.H. THE DUKE OF YORK, K.G.
Council for the Year 1893 94:
President.— THE EARL OF KINGSTON.
Vice-President.— M. P. CASTLE.
Hon. Secretary.—D. GARTH. ' Hon. Assistant Secretary.—J. A. TlLLEARD.
Treasurer.—C. N. BIGGS. I Librarian.—T. MAYCOCK.
E. D. BACON. T. WICKHAM JONES.
H. W. CHAMBERS. E. J. NANKIVELL.
E. B. EVANS. R. PEARCE.
THE twenty-second meeting of the season R. Meyer, G. B. Routledge, C. W. Viner, R.
1893-94 was held at Effingham House, on Pearce, E. J. Nankivell, T. Maycock, J. A.
Friday, the i6th March, 1894, at 7.30. The Tilleard, and W. B. Avery. The chair was
members present were: Messrs. M. P. Castle, taken by the Vice-President, and the minutes
E. D. Bacon, C. N. Biggs, A. W. Chambers, of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
tc-4 PHILATELIC SOCIETIES' MEETINGS.

The business of the evening consisted of ing members were in attendance, viz., Messrs.
the revision of the Reference List of the M. P. Castle, R. Meyer, Hastings E. Wright,
Stamps of the Straits Settlements, which B. W. Neane, G. B. Routledge, R. Pearce,
was continued. E. J. Nankivell, J. A. Tilleard, T. Maycock.
Amongst other stamps shown at the meet- The Vice-President took the chair, and
ing was a block of six of the three cents the minutes of the last meeting were read
City Dispatch Post stamps, kindly sent for and confirmed.
inspection by H.R.H. the Duke of York. The business of the evening consisted of
the revision of the Reference List of the
THE twenty-third meeting of the season was
Stamps of Labuan, which was proceeded
held at Effirigham House, on Friday, the
30th March, 1894, at 7.30 p.m., the following with and adjourned for completion.
members being in attendance, viz., the Vice- Messrs. Stanley Gibbons, Limited, sent for
President in the chair, and Messrs. E. D. the inspection of members present a used
Bacon, R. Ehrenbach, R. Meyer, H. R. Old- specimen of the 5 cents on 8 c., orange,
field, J. G. Tolhurst, W. T. Willett, T. Maycock, Hong Kong stamp with inverted surcharge.
L. S. Wells, G. B. Routledge, R. Pearce, E.
J. Nankivett, E. B. Evans, J. A. Tilleard, and THE twenty-fifth meeting of the season was
J. C. Potter. held at Effingham House, on Friday, the
After the minutes of the last meeting had 13th April, 1894, at 7.30 p.m. The chair was
been read and confirmed, the receipt from taken by the Vice-President, and the other
M. Barbarin of his "Nouveau Catalogue members present were: — Messrs. F. A.
General" was directed to be acknowledged Philbrick, D. Garth, C. N. Biggs, R. Meyer,
with thanks, as also the receipt from Mr. R. Ehrenbach, L. S. Wells, G. B. Routledge,
Siewert of photographs of the recent forgeries W. Silk, T. Maycock, J. C. Potter, A. B.
of the rare Moscow and Petersburg stamped Creeke, A. A. Davis, F. E. Horton, P. E.
envelopes. Raynor, Gordon Smith, R. Pearce, E. J.
Mr. David Benjamin, of Shanghai, pro- Nankivel), J. G. Tolhurst, E. D. Bacon, R.
posed by Mr. Gibbon, and seconded by the Greening, and J. A. Tilleard.
Vice-President; Mr. G. L.Toppan,of Chicago, The minutes of the last meeting having
proposed by Mr. A. L. Holman, and seconded been read and confirmed, Mr. William
by the Vice-President; and Mr. Edward P. Herrick, of New Jersey, U.S.A., proposed
Collett, proposed by Mr. W. D. Beckton, and by Mr. Henry Clotz, and seconded by Mr.
seconded by the Vice-President, were duly William Thorne, was elected a member of
elected members of the Society. the Society.
The Vice-President read a paper entitled
Mr. Nankivell then read a paper on " The
" Notes on the Design of the Sydney View,"
Essentials of an Ideal Album," in which he
and on the motion of Mr. Nankivell, seconded
by Mr. Bacon, a vote of thanks was accorded explained at length his views as to the
to Mr. Castle for his interesting contribution. requirements of the advanced collector, and
Major Evans produced for inspection two the questions to be considered, and the
blocks, each containing 28 stamps of the 2d. difficulties to be overcome in the mode of
value of Queensland, showing the arrange- arrangement of his collection. In illustration
ment of the watermark in " script" capitals. of his views Mr. Nankivell handed round
He also presented specimens of the perfora- specimens of the album and sheets which
tion of the Queensland stamps from the had recently been prepared from his designs
various machines used by the postal authorities for his own collection. A long discussion
of the Colony, obtained by Stanley Gibbons, ensued in which many of the members
Limited, and sent by them to the Society for present, including the late President, took
reference. part. Although no general consensus of
One of the recently discovered 9 kreuzer opinion was arrived at on this difficult
stamps of the first issue of Baden, printed in question, in which so much depends upon
green, was also shown. This stamp, which individual tastes and requirements, it was
was used on the entire letter sheet, was acknowledged on all sides that the paper
inspected with much interest by the members which had been read had distinctly advanced
present. the subject on which it treated, and on the
motion of Mr. Philbrick, seconded by Mr.
THE twenty-fourth meeting of the season Bacon, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded
was held at Effingham House, on Friday, to Mr. Nankivell for his valuable and
the 6th April, 1894, at 7.30 p.m. The follow- interesting paper.
 PHILATELIC SOCIETIES' MEETINGS. 105

BRIGHTON AND SUSSEX PHILATELIC SOCIETY.

Honorary President.—BARON DE WORMS.

Committee for the Year 1894:
President.—M. P. CASTLE. | Vice-President.—J. H. REDMAN.
Hon. Sec. and Treasurer.—A. DE WORMS.
Hon. Librarian—O. PFENNINGER.
W. T. WILLETT. H. STAFFORD SMITH.
J. W. GlLLESriE. R. J. WOODMAN.
THE tenth meeting of the season was held Monday, March I2th, at 7.45 p.m. Present
at Markwell's Hotel, Brighton, on Monday, —Messrs. W. T. Willett, M. P. CastJe, J.
February a6th, at 7.45 p.m. Present— W. Gillespie, A. H. Thomas, W. H. G.
Messrs. M. P. Castle, A. de Worms, J. W. Cruttvvell, H. Stafford Smith, E. E. Man-
Gillespie, R. J. Thrupp, E. E. Manwaring, waring, R. J. Thrupp, P. de Worms, O.
A. H. Thomas, P. de Worms, O. Pfenninger, Pfenninger, A. de Worms, and two visitors,
W. T. Willett, H. Stafford Smith, R. J. Messrs. H. Hilckes and H. Davis. Mr. W.
Woodman. The President in the chair. T. Willett in the chair. The minutes of the
After the minutes of the previous meeting previous meeting having been read and con-
had been read and confirmed, the President firmed, Mr. Thomas read a very interesting
said that he had much pleasure in announc- paper on the stamps of Roumania, and
ing that Baron de Worms, the Honorary showed his collection of the same. He
President, was about to present a book-case regretted that the first issue was not re-
to the Society. A most cordial vote of presented, and mentioned that it was perhaps
thanks, proposed by the President, and the most difficult of all European countries
seconded by Mr. Willett, was unanimously to obtain complete. Of the subsequent issues
carried; and the Secretary was instructed he exhibited a large number of shades and
to convey the same to Baron de Worms for different perforations, especially in the Paris
his very kind gift. The President then ex- and local printings of the 1871 type, among
hibited the last portion of his splendid which was the 5 bani, blue, error of colour.
collection of Victoria, including all issues Mr. Willett proposed a vote of thanks,
from 1863 to the current set, and gave a which was seconded by the President, who
description of the principal and most in- showed some very fine specimens of the
teresting varieties. He said that many were first issue of Roumania, including the
very rare unused, and difficult to obtain in 81 paras in perfect condition, unused. The
that condition, especially the " Laureated" Secretary presented, on behalf of Messrs.
series, with errors of watermark. A vote of Stanley Gibbons, Limited, a copy of " South
thanks to the President was passed. Australia," which he was requested to
acknowledge with best thanks.
THE eleventh meeting of the season was A. DE WORMS, Hon. Sec.
held at MarkwelPs Hotel, Brighton, on 27, ADELAIDE CRESCENT, BRIGHTON.

MANCHESTER PHILATELIC SOCIETY.

President.—VERNON ROBERTS. Vice President.—F. BARRATT.

Hon. Sec.—W. DORNING BECKTON. Assistant Hon. Sec.—C. H. COOTE.
Hon. Treasurer.—G. B. DUERST.
Hon. Librarian.—J. H. ABBOTT.
E. P. COLLETT. W. GRUNEWALD.
G. F. H. GIBSON. W. W. MUNN.

THE thirteenth meeting of the session was Hon. Secretary, Messrs. Collett, Munn,
held at the Blackfriars' Hotel on March 2nd, Grunewald, Beazley, Ranck, Pemberton,
the President in the chair, supported by the Blockey, Fildes, North, Bowker, and Wallace.
Vice-President, Hon. Secretary, Assistant The minutes of the last meeting were read
io6 PHILATELIC SOCIETIES'
and confirmed. Dr. Moore and Mr. Litch-
field were elected members of the Society.
The President gave an address upon the
stamps of Ceylon, a very complete series of
these stamps being shown by several mem-
bers, including nearly all the un perforated
stamps in pairs. The Secretary showed
Cape of Good Hope 3d., C C and Crown, pair,
one with and the other without the surcharge,
thick figure 3. The President showed a
collection of over 70 Mulready envelopes.
THE fourteenth meeting of the session was
held at the Blackfriars' Hotel on Friday,
THE PLYMOUTH PHILATELIC
President.—A. R. BARRETT.
Vice-President.—R. TYETH STEVENS.
Exchange Superintendent.—H. TUCKER, JUN.
Hon. Sec. and Treasurer,—A. I/EVY.
Committee.—H. W. MAVNE.
THE ninth meeting of the third session was
held at gA, Princess Square, on Wednesday,
February 2ist, 1894, at 7.30 p.m. Present—
the President in the chair, seven members,
and two visitors. A hearty vote of thanks
was accorded to Messrs. Stanley Gibbons,
Limited, for a copy of their recently-published
work on " South Australia," presented by
them to the Library of the Society. As the
stamps of this colony formed the subject of
study for the evening the gift was opportune,
and highly appreciated.
THE tenth meeting was held at the same
place on March 7th. Present—the President
in the chair, six members, and two visitors.
Mr. J. W. Miller was elected member of the
Society. The Vice-President (who acted as
Hon. Sec. in the absence of Mr. Levy)
reported the receipt of a bound copy of the
Stamp News Annual, 1894, from Messrs.
Theodor Buhl & Co. It was resolved that the
Sec. write a letter of thanks to the donors.
BOMBAY PHILATELIC SOCIETY.
FROM a list of the members of this body
recently received, it appears to be in a
flourishing condition, there being nearly
forty members thereon, with many of whom
the writer, in conjunction with Mr. Willett,
had the pleasure of personal intercourse
MEETINGS.
March i6th, 1894, seventeen members being
present, the Vice-President in the chair.
The minutes of the last meeting were read
and confirmed.
The Hon. Secretary read a paper on the
stamps of Gibraltar, pointing out the two
types of surcharge on certain values in the
1889 issue. All the known varieties were
exhibited, including many minor varieties
not mentioned in the leading catalogues,
and likewise entire sheets.
W. DORNING BECKTON.
DAISY BANK, SWINTON PARK.
SOCIETY.
J. MILTON. C. LEI.EUX.
The evening was passed in the study of
" Watermarks," the subject being introduced
at the request of the members present by
the Vice-President. The watermarks of the
postal adhesives of Great Britain were dis-
cussed, the members being assisted in their
study by sheets illustrating the various
designs, prepared and presented to the
members by the Vice-President.
It was resolved that the best thanks of
the meeting be tendered to the Vice-
President for the interesting way in which
he had dealt with the subject, and also for
the illustrations he had so kindly provided.
It was resolved that the next meeting of
the session should be devoted to a continua-
tion of the study of " Watermarks," and that
members should be invited to bring with
them any stamps in their possession, the
watermarks of which appeared doubtful.
ASHER LEVY, Hon. Sec.
190, UNION STREET, PLYMOUTH.
when staying in Bombay. That beautiful
city has many energetic collectors, and there
is every reason to hope that the pioneer of
the Indian Philatelic Societies will have a
brilliant career.
 [ '07 ]

TheMarket.
AUCTIONS. £ s- '•
Ditto, 4 c., border of grapes . 9 5 0
MESSRS. CHEVELEY & Co. St. Vincent, 55., star, unused . 3 17 6
AT their sale of March I3th the following Virgin Isles, is., single line border,
were the more noticeable lots : used . . . . 2 2 0
£ *• d Dominican Republic, Un real, black
Turks Islands, is., prune . . 5 10 o o n yellow, unused . . 4 6 0
Canada, 6d., imperf., laid paper, N e w Zealand,j(W?/r«, is.,green,perf. 5 5 0
unused . . . 4 0 0 Queensland, first issue, 2d., blue,
Nevis, is., bright green, perf. 15, imperf. . . . 6 0 0
unused . . . 2 2 0 Tasmania, " no wmk., id., red, pair
Petersburg, 5 c., red on original . 3 5 0 unused" , . . 4 10 o
British Guiana, 1862, 4 c., blue, Victoria, 55., blue on yellow . . 2 1 7 6
rosace border (medium) • 5 5 o Western Australia, 4d., blue, rou-
Bolivar, small rect., 10 c., green, letted (very f i n e ) . . . 2 1 2 6
unused . . - 5 5 °
U. S. Providence, 10 c., black, SALE of March agth :
unused . . . 2 6 0 Great Britain, id., on Dickinson
Victoria, first issue, 2d., fine back- paper, strip of four, unused . 13 10 o
ground, on original letter (fine) 3 3 0 Ditto, 2d., blue, strip of six, imperf.,
Neiv Zealand, 2d., vermilion, wmk. unused . . . n 10 o
lozenges . . . 2 12 o Ditto,^5,orangeonbluish,/oj-to//y,
Western Australia, 1864, is., green 2 5 0 used 4 5 °
Saxony, 3 pf., red, unused 3 5 0
The same firm also held a sale on March Ceylon, 4d., rose, imperf. (fine) n o o
3ist, which included the following : Ditto, 8d., brown, imperf. 7 15 o
£ s. d.
India, \ anna, red, unused . • 5 5 o Ditto, 2s., blue, imperf. 5 5 o
Buenos Ayres, 1858, 4 pesos, red, Mauritius, id., vermilion, on white
on original envelope . . 12 10 o paper, early state of plate . 3 10 o
Turks Islands, is., prune (not fine) 2 1 6 0 Mauritius, 2d., blue, on white
New South Wales, 2d., Sydney, paper, early state of plate . 4 4 0
Plate i, on original letter (fine, United States, 15 c., yellow, un-
early impression) . . 4 5 0 used, with grille . . . 2 10 p
United States, City Despatch Post,
MESSRS. VENTOM, BULL, & COOPER. 3 cts., black on bluish, unused,
AT a two days' sale held on March 7th and original . . . 4 10 o
8th, the following lots realised over £2. Bolivar, ist issue, to c., green . 4 0 0
Pacific Steam Navigation Co., i rl.,
Oldenburg, 2nd issue, | groschen, £ s. d. blue on bluish, postmarked . 3 1 2 o
black on green, unused . . 4 17 6 W. Australia, ist issue, 2d., with
Saxony, 3 pf., r e d . . . 4 5 0 impression o n back, used . 4 0 0
France, l franc, orange . - 5 5 °
„ 1876, error, 15 c., brown MR. W. HADLOW.
on rose . . . 2 1 0 6
Spain, 3 cuartos, bronze . . 7 0 0 THERE was a very good attendance at the
I sale of March 2ist. The following are
Switzerland, Basle, 2| rappen • ) 4 '4 o interesting lots that realised over £2.
Tuscany, 3 lire, yellow (imperfect) 15 o o New South Wales, large square, £ s. d.
Ceylon, ist issue, 2d., green (roul.) 3 0 0 imperf., 5d., green . . 2 10 o
Ditto, 4d., rose, imperf. . . 6 10 o New Zealand, ist issue, 2d., blue
Ditto, gd., violet-brown, imperf. . 2 1 5 0 o n blue, unused . . 2 8 0
Soruth, 2 annas, black on yellow, Dominican Republic, medio real,
used o n original . . 5 0 0 black on green, unused . . 2 77 6
Cape of Good Hope, woodblock, Canada,6d.,violet-blk.,perf.onorig. 4 8 0
id., red, unused . . 8 8 0 Tuscany, 3 lire, deep orange .2715 o
Ditto, woodblock, 4d., dark blue Saxony, 3 pf., red . . . 3 1 7 6
(slightly nicked a t o n e corner) 2 8 0
Ditto, woodblock, error, 4d., red . 32 o o THE SCOTT STAMP & COIN Co., LIMITED.
Mauritius, largef i l l e t ,2d., blue . 7 0 0
Newfoundland, 6d., vermilion . 2 2 0 SALE of March 5th and 6th at New York
United States, 1857,90 c., blue, used 2 7 6 included (in a 3000 dollar aggregate) the
Ditto, 1869, complete . . 3 10 o following:
British Guiana, 1862, provisional, Newfoundland, 4d., vermilion . . $11.10
i c., border of crossed ovals . 4 5 0 Philippines, 1854, 5 c., orange . . 10.50
Ditto, 2 c., border of pearls, No. Ditto, 1855, 5 c., vermilion . . 13.10
18 on plate . . . 4 0 0 United States, 5 c., black, used on orig. i i.oo
io8 CORRESPONDENCE.
MESSRS. R. F. ALBRECHT & Co.
AT a sale of March I4th and I5th, at New
York, the total realised was $3142, including
some good United States 'envelopes, and a
fine general collection :
United States, 1869, 90 c., unused . $10.60
Ditto, 1870, 12 c., grilled . . 10.00
Bremen, 1867, 7 gr., perf., used . 22.50
THE BOGERT & DURBIN Co.
THE sale of January 3131, February 1st,
2nd, and 3rd (at New York), embraced no
less than 1868 lots, and included amongst
many good things :
United States, New Haven, entire
5 c. envelope, used . . . $40.00
Ditto, New York, 1843, 3 c., blue,
glazed paper . . . 13.00
Ditto, St. Louis, 10 c. . . . 51.00
Ditto, U.S., 1868,30 c., grilled all over 211.00
Dittto, do. 1869,24 c., in verted centre 88.00
Vancouver Island, 5 c., imperf. . . 36.00
Buenos Ayres, 1858, 5 p., orange . 35.50
Great Britain, id., black V.R., used . 41.00
Ditto ditto unused 52.00
Correspondence.
COMMUNICATIONS.—All comnmnications on Philatelic matters or Advertisements should be addressed
to the Editor of THE LONDON PHILATELIST, Kingston Lodge, Richmond Place, Brighton. No
anonymous contributions can be noticed.
AUSTRALIAN STAMPS.
To the Editor of the "London P&ilatelisf."
DEAR SIR,—I thank you for your kindly
notice in the November number of your
Journal to my paper on the early stamps of
New South Wales, published in Vindin's
Monthly, also for the interesting addenda
you make to it.
There is a fact about these stamps in
particular that you will appreciate, and
which I would like to mention ; that is, the
great difficulty in writing of them of know-
ing where to draw the line ; and my desire
not to get beyond the resources of the
ordinary collector made me hesitate in
naming some varieties which I would other-
wise have done. You will have noticed that
I italicised this sentence, " It should be
remembered that in these notes minor
varieties of type, shade, and paper are
intentionally omitted." Most of those
mentioned in your supplementary list were
known to me, although two or three were
fresh.
Let me say also that (in conjunction with
the other advanced collectors of Australian
stamps here) I attach no philatelic im-
Great Britain, 1876, 8d., unused . 24.25
India, 1854, \ anna, red . . 31.00
Ditto, 4 as., inverted head . . 45.00
New Brunswick, i sh., used . . 51.00
THE J. W. SCOTT Co.
THE sale of March 27th at New York was
mainly noticeable for the fine lot of pro-
prietary stamps ; but amongst the 490 lots
there were a number of useful stamps, mainly
those of the United States.
AUCTIONS IN THE "FAR EAST."
THE prevailing custom of disposing of
stamps by public sale has spread even as
far as Hongkong. A catalogue has been
sent to us by Messrs. Whitfield King & Co.
of a sale held at that town on the 25th
January, by Mr. George P. Lamnert, com-
prising 630 lots. These does not, however,
seem to have been anything very special,
judging by the prices attained, the only
method available of forming a judgment,
as the descriptions are of the vaguest.
portance to the fact that the stamps of
the other colonies are found bearing the
Victorian postmark and vice versd. In my
opinion these are simply stamps that have
escaped defacement until arriving at their
destination, when they are marked by the
cancelling stamp nearest to hand. Tasmanian
stamps are abundant treated in this way.
The simple fact was that it was often more
expeditious to send a letter by ship than
pass it through the post. They were then
brought over by hand and dropped into the
Melbourne Post-office, and postmarked with
the rest.
I have seen a Sarawak stamp bearing the
Melbourne postmark, and the cancellations
of Victoria, Tasmania, and New South
Wales are very plentiful in almost all issues
on their neighbour's stamps.
Leading collectors here are very sceptical
as to whether Views were ever officially used
in Victoria, although it is demonstrated that
those of New South Wales were in the
Post-offices of Queensland.
I am yours,
A. J. DERRICK.
SOUTH YARRA, MELBOURNE,
a6/A February^ 1894.